Hello from Badger and Lisa! We are a loving couple living in the Bay Area and we are excited to begin our family through adoption. We can only imagine how difficult a time this must be for you, and we very much admire your courage in choosing adoption for your child. We have great compassion for your situation, and we trust whatever you decide to do it will be the best choice for both you and your child. We hope this letter will tell you enough about our lives to encourage you to reach out to learn a bit more about us, and also share your hopes and dreams for your child.

How we met, where we live

The first time we spoke we knew we could have something special. Like a lot of modern couples, we met online and we spent hours that first month talking on the phone and telling each other all about our lives and our dreams. That was in 2013 when we were living in different cities. In 2014 we were married in a simple ceremony in a little park in NYC with just a few friends and family.  Today our home is in a great house in a sunny, tree- filled neighborhood in Oakland, California. Lisa is a personal chef and Badger is a software engineer about to launch a hardware startup. We share our home with our cats and many out of town friends. Our lives are happy and full of new experiences and wonderful people.

Our interests

We love spending time together, especially when we're seeing new things so we try to travel at least once a year, usually someplace neither of us has been, (since we met we've been to Mexico, Italy & Spain). We also love spending the day in Sonoma country or at the beach. We both love music, especially jazz. We love art festivals and camping so Burning man (where we spent our honeymoon) is very special to us and we hope to share the art, music, and beauty found with our child. 

We both love having friends over for brunch and holidays. We love farmers markets and flea markets and the big park up the hill from us.

We are constantly laughing together and learning from each other so we really just enjoy hanging out no matter what we're doing. 

About Lisa, by Badger

Lisa is without a doubt the best thing that has ever happened to me. She is the most nurturing person I've ever met.  In her heart and with purposeful action she makes her way through the world truly and deeply caring for others.  Naturally.  It's not work for her.  It's simply who she is. She gave me a home, the first I've ever had.  Not just a place where I sleep, but a place filled with love.  A center of our community.  Holidays.  Gatherings.  Community.  She believes in people and sees the good in them that they often can't see in themselves. She's insanely smart.  Passionate.  Stylish.  Worldly.  Hilarious.  She can read a 400-page book in a day and she even likes my stupid puns....  Most of the time.  She's literally broadened my world. I always wanted to travel but it just seemed like something other people do... Now I get to travel with her because she wouldn't have it any other way. 

 

I feel so happy that our kids will grow up with parents who really love each other.  Who see the good and the not so good in each other and love all of it.

 

Lisa grew up on the East Coast, primarily in and near New York City.  She got her love of travel from her parents and took her first trip with them  while she was still in diapers. Her parents are both from New York and she remembers exploring the Natural History Museum and the Lower East Side with both her parents from the time she was very young. Lisa's grandparents lived on the Lower East Side when they first came to the US, and both Lisa and her mom lived there during college so their roots there go very deep. Lisa's family wasn't religious in any way but they were always very involved in giving back to others whether through volunteering at school or making sure to give back to others when ever possible. Volunteering is still very important to Lisa and we try and make that a part of our life together on a regular basis. The first thing most people notice about Lisa is how warm, genuine and engaging she is. Travel fills her with a profound reverence and awe. She finds a deep joy in being a citizen of the world. I cannot wait to share the world with our child, and one of the best parts of that journey will be seeing Lisa lead the way.

About Badger, by Lisa

The first thing most people notice about Badger is his sense of humor. Nobody has ever made me laugh so hard or so much. He just really loves to see people smile and he has an amazing ability to put them at ease. He is particularly good with kids, animals and shy people. He thinks it's because he makes people laugh but I think it's also because he's just wonderfully gentle and generous.  I love being in the world with him for so many reasons but at the top of the list is how often I get to see the best in people because of Badger's way of being with them. Badger's dad died when he was still a baby and he grew up with a mostly absent mom. He surrounds himself with wonderful people that he treats like family and I've been very blessed to have all of them as my "inlaws" and friends too. My life was happy when Badger and I met but I truly didn't know how happy I could be.  

 

When I met Badger I knew he would be a wonderful father and husband but I didn't know that he would become my best friend, my dearest companion and my favorite person ever. My world wouldn't be the same without him. I didn't have kids when I was younger because I never wanted to be a single parent. Now I  feel truly blessed every day that we found each other and that our kids will grow up in a loving, happy home. 

Our family and friends

Our family and friends are wonderful. Everyone is very supportive of our desire to start a family and they are all excited to welcome a new child into their lives.  We are closest to Lisa's parents and to the large collection of cousins and in-laws on Badger's side. Our friends are a really important part of our family.  We both believe that friends are the family you make and our holiday celebrations would be incomplete without them. 

Lisa's folks travel a lot too but we all manage to see each other two-three times a year no matter where we are. We're very lucky to have friends and cousins with kids and we love spending time with all of them. We love making a big deal about  Thanksgiving, Hanukah, Christmas, and Passover as often as we can. 

Our parenting vision

Before we met we both knew we wanted to adopt. Being parents is, for us, about providing an environment where a child can be their whole selves, with security, comfort, and happiness. It's about nurturing and loving whoever they are so that they feel safe to be whoever they want to be. This is what we've given each other and what we most desire to share with our child. The most important thing we offer is our open hearts and our commitment to love. We are partners in every way and each of us is truly excited to see the other as a mama or daddy to a little one.

There is no way to express how we feel about having the opportunity to experience life with our own child. It's a true privilege to watch someone grow from a baby into an adult and to be there to nurture and guide them. We want to share a wonderful world of reading, music, nature walks, travel, friends, family and community with our child. We want our child to have every opportunity that we can offer so that they have every chance to live the life they want.  Whatever our child's journey we're going to be there every step of the way.